


Sug@r Sp1ce and Everyth1ng N1ce

by tinybox



Series: unreality_strikes_back.exe [22]
Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Computer Programming, Deja Vu, False Memories, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Reality Bending, Swearing, Video & Computer Games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23015965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinybox/pseuds/tinybox
Summary: Kaito attends the Literature Club for the second time, and finds a shared interest in the same manga with Natsuki.And aside from the occasional hallucinations Kaito keeps having, everything is going just fine!
Series: unreality_strikes_back.exe [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619047
Kudos: 6





	Sug@r Sp1ce and Everyth1ng N1ce

***Load**

_Monika smiles sweetly at me. "I like this one! It makes me think of something **r342??//posfeh90123** would like."_

_"Is that so?" I ask curiously. "I mean, I used to give her an ice cream sandwich to look over my essay assignments or the occasional class presentation, and sometimes she'd rewrite parts of it without me asking, so I guess I just...remembered her style? Maybe?"_

_Monika giggles. "So that explains why some of your speeches would occasionally go off-topic!"_

_"No, that was all me. Except anything involving cute animals or food. That was **QwE1* &((00M,bt}p**."_

_"You and **m)92.dhUkdsiel=o1** are really good friends, huh? I wouldn't be surprised if you had those sort of things in common." _

_"We've known each other practically our entire lives, and she's always been there for me. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without her."_

***Load**

_I roll my eyes. **"9msyri..?/ds002)),** you doofus. I've been writing my poems for you all along. You're only realizing this now?"_

***Load**

_I swing my arm over her shoulder. "I guess it can't be helped. Here, lean on me."_

_"It's okay," **O9mns[~p!!Q?/** says bravely. "I'm good standing on my own."_

***Load**

_**sq(dO_dhe &8e **finds pleasure in the simplest things sometimes; when I'm around her, the world seems just a little bit brighter. _

***Load**

_"People tend to underestimate her, you know. They think she's some kind of airhead, and I won't deny she acts like one. But...she's a lot deeper and complex than most people give her credit for."_

_"I see. Take good care of her, okay? I would hate to see her get hurt."_

_"That makes two of us...but don't worry, you can count on me."_

***Load**

_"You're staying up late again, aren't you?" **yU8 &L_(((bc **asks worriedly. "Now that you're in a club, you're gonna have less time for anime and manga, you know!"_

_"I thought you told Natsuki that manga was literature," I tease._

_**4b=od9w//ason** huffs. "You know what I mean!"_

_"Yeah," I admit. "I know, I know. You're always looking out for me, **5te78K-9d!fhOmcs)(b**. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without you."_

***Load**

Well, I'm back at the Literature Club; since I was the last to come in, everyone's already hanging out.

"Hi again, Kaito!" Monica says cheerfully. With a wink, she adds, "Glad to see you didn't run away on us. Hahahaha!"

I briefly consider making a joke about me being a terrible runner, but quickly reconsider- I'm just not someone who's good at making people laugh... on purpose.

"...Even though this whole thing is a little strange, I always keep my word," I promise. 

Yuri, getting up from a nearby chair, walks over to Monika and I.

For just a moment-

h̵̛͔̘̮̣͈͕̼̱͇̄̊̾̈́̒͋̄̓͗̕̚̚ȩ̴̯͈̺̙̝͈̠̭̤̝͍͈͐̍̓̿͘r̴̬̞̭̥̞̝̞̗̖͔̭͖͋̈́͐̃̊̆̀͊̏̃̾̓͜͝ͅͅ ̸͚̂̍͒f̶̢̛͇̖͇̞͔̠̻̺̤̀͗̑̉̆͌͠ͅa̶̝͌̑͛̈́c̶̡̟̟͎͖̲̜̦̬̏̽͠e̴̲͓̫̙̣̱̗͔͌̍̍̄̈́̊̈́̎͘͘͘ ̷̨̱̫̝̭̎̇̍̓͐͆͂̈̊̑͑͜͝ͅg̷̢̭͍̜̱̀̈́͊̾̎̏̄l̴͕̐̓̑͒̄̐͌͒̓͛̐̔i̷̛̩̰̩̙̤̟̙̯̋͑͑̉͊͐͋̈͌͂̐̂t̷̩͓̠̙̩͔͇͈̱̊̿̈͑̌̇̍̽͌ͅc̷̛̥̳̦̥̜̪̼̝̳̝̪̰͚͆͌̐͋́̌̇̄͛̆́̉̒̉ͅh̸̢̢̛̙͙̮̟̙͔̲̗̞͕͌͂̈͛̂͌̍̒̓̉̚̕͘e̴̛͓͎̘̩̓̒̍̿̽͝ś̷̡̮̻̮͙̟͕̭̬̺̼̜͒͆̏̊̉͊̆̏ ̴̥̳̙̦͚̂a̶̛̜͓͎̼̰̺̥͋̾̆̆̌͂̓͘͜͠ͅñ̴̩͔͓̙̲̯̜̟͔́͋̊̊̓̄̌̾̕ͅd̶͔̹̞͖̩̩͖͈̱͔͚͔̆̓ ̸̢̧̖̮̟̹̩͕̻̤͚̜̉̐͘c̸̫̄̈̃͑̎́͛͂̾̔̅̍͛̋h̸̡̨̭̹̖̼̻͚͇̦͓̅̈́̍̓͌͊̍̑͗ḁ̶͍̈̑͆͛̎̉͆͌̂͒̅́͊͋n̸̨͐̒̉̄͆̆͊͊͛͗͌͠ͅğ̶̢̻͔̣͉̬̰͕͉̤̜͗̆̐̅̐͐͐̃̀͌̇̃͋ê̸̡͉̠̟̭͔̟̻͇̝̝̘͖̈͂̈̈́͠ͅs̶̨̺͓͖̳̘̘̺̈́̔̑͂̌̓̇̐̐̌͘͜͝͝ ̷̛͕̈̏͆̈́̃a̴̢̛͕͚̹̝̼̳̰̜̟̞̝͂̓̉͑n̴͉͓͇͙̲̩̗͖̦͉͙̗̥̠̊̊͑̋͆̑͐̇͋͂̓͘͘͝d̵̡̪͔̲̪͎͍͍̗̽̑͌̆̅̈́̔̔̽̈́̓̕͘͝ ̵̢̡̙̠̜̜͇̰̝̺̝͖̭̀̃̈́ͅẇ̵̧̤̩̤̳͚̩̍͐́͝a̷̧̡̛̫̰̯̜̘͎̱̙̾̒́̇̑̾̓̃͘͠ͅr̵̰̱͉̠͐͊̚p̵̛͔̼͔̮̰̙̼̳͋͆̑̍̈́͊̄͗̍́̇͘̕͜ş̶̡͈̟̳̥͖̥͍̂̉͛͠

"Thanks for keeping your promise, Kaito," Yuri says gently. "I hope this isn't too much of a commitment for you. Making you dive headfirst into literature when you're not accustomed to it..."

Scoffing, Natsuki makes her way to the front of the room. "Oh, come on! He doesn't deserve any slack. You already had to be dragged here by Monika."

I can feel my face starting to flush.

"I don't know if you plan to just come here and hang out, or what..." Natsuki huffs, jabbing a finger in my face, "but if you don't take us seriously, then you won't see the end of it."

Natsuki's scowl grows deeper. "M-M-M...!" 

I'm not sure, but I think she's stuck between saying "Monika" and "Manga".

"Manga is literature!!" Natsuki grumbles, stomping back to her seat.

"I'm sorry, Kaito..." Yuri quietly apologizes. "We'll make sure to put your comfort first, okay?"

She shoots Natsuki a disappointed glance, and I feel my stomach twist into knots. 

"Um...anyway," Yuri continues, "now that you're in the club and all...perhaps you might have an interest in picking up a book to read?"

"That would be nice...do you have any books that you would recommend?"

"W-Well, actually...I didn't want you to feel left out, so I picked out a book I thought you would like..." 

Reaching into her bag, Yuri pulls out a book with a black cover. "It's a short read, so it should keep your attention. And we could...if you wanted to...discuss it together?"

I take the offered book with a smile. "Thanks, Yuri."

Taking a look at the front of the book, I see that it's titled, 'Portrait of Markov'.

There's an ominous-looking eye symbol in the center- it's really cool, but at the same time...just looking at the image sends chills down my spine. 

"Anyway," I continue, trying not to let Yuri notice my uneasiness, "it would be great to talk about the book together."

"Phew...well, you can read it at your own pace. I look forward to hearing what you think."

***Save**

Now that everyone's settled in, I expected Monika to kick off some scheduled activities for the club.

But that doesn't seem to be the case.

Yuri's face is already buried in a book; I can't help but notice her intense expression, like she was waiting for this chance. 

I hear Natsuki utter an exasperated sigh from within the closet. 

She seems to be annoyed at something- maybe she won't mind a little bit of help?

I approach her slowly, making sure that she can hear my footsteps so that I don't startle her. 

"You looking for something in there?"

Natsuki turns around,

**"Fucking**

**MONIKAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM**

Natsuki grumbles, crossing her arms in annoyance. "She never puts my stuff back in the right spot! What's the point in keeping your collection organized if someone else is just going to mess it up?"

Natsuki slides a bunch of stacked books and boxes across the shelf. I can't help but notice that all of the books look like manga covers.

"You read manga, right?" Natsuki asks.

"Ah-Sometimes."

_All the time._

(Manga is one of those things where you can't admit you're really into it until you figure out where the other person stands.)

"...How did you know, anyway?"

"I heard you bring it up at some point. Besides, it's kind of written on your face."

"Oh, right."

Then the second sentence registers with me. 

_What's that supposed to mean? Is it a compliment? An insult? Both???_

"I-I...see."

(I really don't see, but I'm not going to tell Natsuki that.)

There's a lone volume of manga amidst a stack of various books on the side of one of the shelves; I pull out the manga and ask, "Is this the one you're looking for?"

" _There_ it is!" Natsuki says happily, snatching the book out of my hands before I can get a good glimpse at the cover. She then turns to the box of manga and slips the volume into the middle of the rest. "Aah, much better!"

For the first time, Natsuki turns to me, a smile on her face. "Seeing a box set with one book missing is probably the most irritating sight in the world."

"I know that feel-"

I get a closer look at the books she's admiring. 

"Hey, is that the _Parfait Girls?",_ I blurt out without thinking.

About five years ago, a classmate of mine gave me the book for a Secret Santa gift exchange. It was a tattered copy, and he later told me, in front of his jeering friends, that his little sister had thrown it away because she thought it was 'too babyish'.

When I unwrapped the gift, I was really embarrassed, and vowed to throw the thing in the trash. For some reason, though, at home I began flipping through the pages just for a laugh.

Almost immediately, I was hooked. 

It's really embarrassing to admit that I love the series, seeing as it's way out of my demographic. Sure, there are cute girls as the main characters, but they aren't drawn in an overly sexual style. I haven't read them in years, though, not since...

Natsuki perks up. "You know them?"

"Yeah," I admit, a little sheepish. "I used to have my own collection of these books, just like yours. Mine were secondhand, though. Haven't read any of those books in ages."

"Huh, I never would have guessed that," Natsuki comments. "Then again, one of the main lessons a person can learn from the Literature Club is-

❞🅳🅾🅽❜🆃 🅹🆄🅳🅶🅴 🅰 🅱🅾🅾🅺

🅑🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅞🅚🅚🅚🅚🅚🅚🅚🅚🅚🅚🅚🅚🅚🅚🅚🅚🅚 🅚🅚🅚🅚 🅚🅚🅚🅚 🅚🅚🅚🅚 🅚🅚🅚🅚

_What's going on?!_

_My head....am I hearing things?_

Since I don't want to be rude and tell Natsuki I have no clue what she just said, I just nod in agreement.

"Well, where did you stop off?" Natsuki demands, hands on her hips.

"I honestly don't remember."

"Well, in that case," Natsuki says determinedly, "you might as well start over from square one!"

Natsuki takes out the first book from the box. "Don't just stand there!" she insists, dragging me by my arm out of the closet. "How are we supposed to talk about the series if you can't remember any of the important details?"

Letting go of my arm, she then takes a seat against the wall, beneath the windowsills. Natsuki pats the space next to her. 

"Wouldn't chairs be more comfortable?" I ask, plunking myself down next to her.

Natsuki shrugs. "We can't read at the same time like that."

I nod in agreement. "Yeah, it's easier to see the pages if we're close like this."

Natsuki startles, her face flushing pink. "D-don't just say that! You'll make me feel weird about it!"

She then crosses her arms and scootches an inch away from me. 

_Oh no, I **really** made everything awkward._

"S-sorry."

I didn't exactly plan on sitting this close to her, either...not that I can say it's a particularly bad thing.

For a moment, I run my hand over the familiar cover. It's been such a long time, but memories of the series are already flooding back into my brain.

I open the book.

It's only a few seconds before Natsuki once again inches closer, reclaiming the original space while she hopes I won't notice. I can feel her peer over my shoulder, just as eager as I am to begin reading.

"Wow, how long has it been since I read the beginning...?" Natsuki comments. 

"Hm? You don't go back and flip through the older novels every now and then?" 

She sighs. "Not really. Maybe sometimes after I've already finished the whole series."

I flip to the next page, pointing to a specific panel. "I remember this part...I used to spend ages trying to recreate a similar perspective in my own drawings...I never managed to get it good enough, though. The art is amazing, isn't it? I think that's my favorite part about the whole series."

"Really? Not the amazing story-lines and great characters?" Natsuki challenges, a steely glint in her eyes. 

I shrug. "I was always more interested in the art style. I did read the books, but not as intensely as you probably have." 

Natsuki huffs. "Well, this time you're going to read everything _properly_ , and you're going to love every _second_ of it."

"Seeing all this baking always made me hungry," I admit. "Actually, come to think of it...did you get into this series because of all the baking, or did you get into baking because of this series?"

"That's just a coincidence! I just happened to get into baking around the same time I got this manga. Like I would ever get into anything because it's in a manga. I feel bad for anyone that impressionable. Ahaha!"

 _Definitely_ not a coincidence.

We read on for a few more minutes. 

"Are you sure this isn't boring you? I'm a pretty slow reader, and I know a lot of people get frustrated reading stuff over my shoulder since I take a while to get through a single page."

"I'm not bored!" Natsuki insists. 

"Even though you're just watching me read?"

"Well...! I'm fine with that."

"...I guess it's fun sharing something you like with someone else. You know what I mean?"

Natsuki shrugs, her expression closed. "...Well, I wouldn't really know."

"What do you mean? Don't you share your manga with your friends?"

Natsuki flushes. "Can you not rub it in?"

"Honestly," I admit, "the only people I talk about manga is with some kind-of friends at school. Also, I don't know if this counts, but I sometimes talk with some people on this one forum online. But usually the guys on the site just argue with each other about whether or not something is canon, fighting about which characters should be shipped together, and rating the top ten types of anime titties."

Natsuki pulls a face. "Gross."

Then, she sighs. "Like I could ever get my friends to read this...they just think manga is for kids. I can't even bring it up without them being all like...'Eh? You still haven't grown out of that?' Makes me want to punch them in the face..."

"Ugh, I know these kind of people. It's really hard to find friends that don't judge, much less friends who are also into it...I have some sort-of friends who also like anime and manga...but we're aren't buddies or anything like that, though. At least they listen to my fan theories, even if they make fun of them."

Natsuki lets out an even deeper sigh.

"I mean, I feel like I can't even keep it in my own room **..MY DAD WOULD BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF ME IF HE FOUND THIS...** at least I can keep it safe here in the clubroom. 'Cept Monika's kind of a jerk about it...ugh! I just can't win, can I?"

_Did Natsuki really say that her dad..._

We sit in silence for a little while as I struggle to think of something to say. 

ṃ̴̢̛̹̖̱̻̱͆͋̏̃̈́̃͊͠y̵̢̗̣̜͍͓̾̔̔̓̌̿̚ ̷̰̑̀̅̅̈̐͆͐͐̕̕͝h̸̻̘̥͐̑͒̊̏̋̃͜ȩ̴̞̻͖̭̤̗͍̞̣̑͒̋̽̌̑̐́͊͘a̷̪̫̙͋̓͊ď̸͕͛̈́̀̕ ̷̬̰̞̭̎̿͂͑͛̄̈́̉͝m̸̬̤̈͆̉́̇͊̃͂̀̎͂́̅y̸̤̗̔͆̐̽̏̓̈́͒̒̄̒̕̚͘ ̴͇̩̦͂̍͊̇͑͒̀̇̈́͌ḫ̵̢͍͎̙͖̯̔͛͑̇̿̓̈́̕͘͠͠͠ͅe̷̢̨̧̞͈̙̱̮͉̤̬͗̾̆̿̔̈́͗͝ą̸͓͙̱̫̃͊̂̋̆̾̔̍̚͝d̷͓̩͈̗̙̳͎̦̘͙̾̂ ̶̨̡̡͚̫̪͍͉̘̼͕̪̓͊͊͜ͅm̵̥͑̊y̵̢͚͉͙̠̍̂͑͋̓̓̂̀͑̀͊͋̽ ̴̙͖͉̥̭̼̮̰̍̈́̿͛͊́͆̈̃͝h̷͈̩̭̩̯̩͎̫̬͈̜̲͌̉͐̒͌̅͂̌̐͘ę̶͎̅͌a̵̢͉̤͈̙̥͒̅̄̐͊͊̿̑̃̆̌̕̚d̸̥͍͓̍̓̿̽̌̚͘͜͝

_Wait, did Natsuki even mention her dad at all?_

_t̴̢͕̼̱͖̥͎̫̉̄̿͋͒̑̂̊̚͜͝h̴̬̗̹͂̌̔̎̏̆̑͛̐͝i̴̢̛̺̩͉̱͐̆̈́̐̆̐̿͊s̴͓̙̥̗͉̦̲̬̦̄̇́̉̈́͐͌̿͐̃̚͘͘͜͜ ̵̢̨̢̛͎̖̻͇̲̮̦͇̥̙́̒̾̆͌̍͝͝ͅi̷̡̢̛̜͙͔̭̗̼̹̺̹̅̍̏̒͆͋̿̒͝s̵̡̠̺͚̼̺̺͖̯̗̳̗̠͕͍͐̅̊̐̓̉n̶̛̛͔̤̻͔̣̒̾́̈́͗͆͊͐̚̚͝'̶̨̡̛̻̘̫̜̝̳̫͚̭͙̒͋͆͛t̸̡̠̗͇̗͇̙͕̞̩̭̥̳̼͑͌̈́̎͘ ̶̝͍͈͓̦̙̣̼̀̈͐͒̎̏̅̍̚͠ͅr̸̥̳̜̥̳̬̜̻̗̩͈̩̀͒͘̕͝ȋ̵̼͙͔͖̬̯͋̿͆̑̔̎͊͒̒͑̑͠͠͝ͅg̵̨̘̹̗̭̦̺̾́͂͆͑h̵̛̜̗̙̬̯͍̳̼̃̾̽̾͑̒̓̊̈́͘͜͝͠t̵̲͐͒̏̈́̄̈́̐͒̾ ̷̛̱̫͓͗̀̊̈́͋̇̿͑̿͐̋͆̏̕ţ̴̝͖̯͍̫͇̟̬̦̞̠̮̾̾̍̓͂̈́͝h̴̡͙̝̩͕̮͑̏̃͊̊͝ͅį̶̝͙̘̫̘͆͂̓͛̍̃̍̋̚͠s̷̮͎̺̭̦͕̫͆ ̶̗̗̹̒͊̑̊̎́̂̕͝i̶̖̟̭̺̱͐̇̅̐̉͘̕͜s̴̹̼͂̄̚n̸̠͑̄̉͌̃̋'̷̢̩̬̰̦̠̫̮̄̐̇̕ͅt̵̛̲̂̽̎̈́̃̆̎̐̂̏̕͝ ̴̨̧̧̭̰̼͙͂̉͌͗͊͆̎̉̕͜r̶̨͔͙̰̬̞̮͖̹̮̝͈̹̲̠͋̆͘i̶̧̛̛̖̦̖̫̥͖͌́̅̏̅̃͋̆͆̚g̵̡̛̠̹͓̼̲̹̎͛̒̈́̈́̋͒͌̍̒͝͝͝h̷̡̭͙̖͈̥̱̔̒̐̒͌̌͝t̵̗͚͇̯͚̥͎̠̫̦͔̝̾͑̌̂̽͑̈́̓̎͊͊͜͠_

_...Why am I thinking about her dad, anyway?_

_It's not like we were talking about our families or anything...and neither of us mentioned anything about either of our parents..._

_w̶̧̛̛̖͓͕̰̘̪̒̋̃̔͑̿̾͗̚ͅh̴͔̫̓͛̊̕a̶̘̣͊͊̄̔̋̄͂̉͘͝t̴̢̛̲̘̻̣͚͎̩͒͊͊̍̽͛͑͝ͅ'̷̡̢͍̟̭̞͙̯̇͊̓̓̍͑̓̔̽̚͘s̵̢̢̨̬͙̖̺̯͖̙͈͈̤̟̓̒̌͜͠ ̵̤̩̦̮͙̟͍̝̬̻͎̤̳̯͍̆̇̇g̸̛͈͈̓̀͘͝ȯ̴̢̢̙̥͙̻͖͔̗̯̩̞̣͔̎̆̅͂͑͝i̷̢̡͙͇̻̠͉͕̟͚̝̔̇̍̈́͜ñ̸̫̜̝̹͉̬̖͔̬̝͑͑͊̈́͛̓͘͠͝ͅğ̴̡̨̛̝̗̟͇͈̥̌̓͒͊̄̽̏̈́ ̷͇͈̞̬͋͋̊̓̒͒͋̊̚͘ö̸̩͎̱̤͈̮̹̮̱́͐̈́̽̎̆͆̍̊̾̏͊̃͝͝n̵̡͖̱͍͓͍̳̱̞̦͎̜̫͔̩͂̍̓̏?̴̨̧̦̖̻̺͔̱̉͒̄̈̒̅͌́̌̌̚?̵̖͋͝?̶̝͇͎̪̂͊́̑̊͒̄̑̚̚͠͝?̸͚̠̪̂̍̆̐̔̊̿͊?̵̡̛̝͕̼̩̰͎̱͇̩̙̿͐̎̑̈́̆̔̃̕̚ͅ?̵̨̬̓̈́̊̈́̃͑͌͊ͅ?̴̨̠̦͇͍̖̲̣̭̬̎̌̋̚͜?̵̧̢̰̞͚̖̩̬̺͇͑̑̌̅͆̏̎̒̂̎͂̃̄͜?̴̡͕͎̩͇͍͂͐͑̋?̵̡̠͍͊͌̂̈̇̓͒͆̊͋̚_

_Wait...what were we talking about, again?_

"...At least you can share it with me? I really missed this series."

"I guess, it's not like it solves any of my problems, though."

"Maybe...but at least you're enjoying yourself, right?"

Natsuki flushes pink. "...Are we just going to sit here? Can we move on already? Sheesh!"

I flip to the next page, and we continue reading in silence.

***Save**

After a while, I notice that Natsuki's being strangely quiet. 

I glance over at her...and find that she's fallen asleep on my shoulder.

_She looks really cute when she's sleeping, but I probably should wake her up._

I nudge her a little. "Hey, Natsuki..."

"Y-Yeah..?" Natsuki murmurs, lifting her head up and looking at me in confusion. "Wha-"

Suddenly, Natsuki collapses straight back into me. 

"Are you-"

_**her eyes are gone her eyes are gone her EYES ARE GONE** _

_**her MOUTH is gone and she's TALKING but nothing makes SENSE my ears hurt my head hurts everything is WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG** _

"Oh jeez," Monika sighs. "Natsuki are you okay?"

_HOW CAN MONIKA BE SO CALM WHEN-_

_WHEN-_

_When what?_

Natsuki looks fine. 

A little embarrassed, but fine.

Monika reaches into her bag and pulls out some kind of protein bar, throwing it in Natsuki's direction. 

Natsuki's eyes suddenly light up again. 

Snatching the bar from the floor, Natsuki wastes no time in tearing the wrapper off and shoving it into her mouth. 

"Don't worry, Kaito," Monika reassures me. "It just happens every now and then. That's why I always keep a snack in my bag for her."

_That sounds like something I do for...for....for..._

_...What was I thinking about?_

"Anyway...!" Monika says cheerfully, "Why don't we all share poems now?"

Ẅ̷̩̘̹̖̦̫͚͉̯͎̮̙̰͉͆̐͂̎͠ȟ̵͇̬͚̞̲̟̱̩̻̙̭͚̠̣̫̇̄̌̋̈̐͊̄̚͘͝ǒ̸͚̰̮̼͉̟̥̼͖̝͒͝ ̴̩͓̹̠̰̪͚̟̜̏̎̍̐̓͗̔̓͋̉̿͜͠s̶̛̮̫̘͇̹̜̳̥̞̝͌̅̎͋͝͝h̸͎̠͍̐̅̎̽̈́̆̃́̊͠ǒ̶̘̦̆̂͌̽̑̓u̴̡̨͈̩̥̗͔͔̻̭͙̜̤͎̎̇͑̔̽͌̿͜͝l̸̡̢̧̻̫̖̩͕̭͉̳̙̮͙͐̇̑̾͠ͅd̴̫̻̫̲̹̟̘̠ ̵̛͓̙̳͎̬͚̰̰̼̯͉̬͒͂͒̊̀̇̐͐̓̚͝I̵̢̢͔̙̟̝͇̻͆̉͛̇̉̓̔̐̅̂̇̄̚͝ ̶̥͎̃̔̈́͑̆s̵͍̘̙̼̓͒̇͑̀̌̊͝ḩ̶̡̼͈̳̬̱͎̯̔̑̾̈̋͂̓͒͒̉͌̉̚͝ͅo̸̟͈͓̫̫̓̈́̀w̷̛̗͇̗̭̓̽̑ ̸͈̫̦̻̮̺͔͋̔͜m̷̡͍͓̻̱͍̮̫̪͕͕͉̙̪̜̀̓̊͐͊͂y̸̳͇̰͖͇̫̩̅͊̍̋̈́̓̆̅̀͛̽̿̀̕͝ͅ ̸̼͙͎͍̼̈̆̋́̈́̐̍͒̄̚͠͝͝ͅp̸̳̖͔̫̲̙̣͖̦̙̗̂͋̐̓̐ơ̶͙̮͙͚̩̖͚̗̲̱̺̗̦̝͉̅̐͆̒̂̈́̈́̈́͗̕̕͝ể̵͔̗͎̯̙͙͈͇̖̘̬̬͈͠m̴̱̕ ̶̢̫͆̀̑̔͊̐̎͛̒͑͂̏t̴̢̢̝̟͕͈̲̃͛͐͋̎̉͐̂̅͆̑ợ̶̤̰̪̥͚̯̜̤̲̞̳̘͚̈́̑͆̈́̈́̍̐͋̕͘̕̕͠ ̸̡̩̪̩̭̝̪͖̝̗̞̹̲̓̐̾̆̈̋̍̑̑͋͘f̷̳̹͗i̵̲̼̬̝̼̓̾͊͑̏̇̈́ͅŗ̸̛̝͔̭̪̼̪͉̤̮̫̣̤̿̽͂͛̚ͅs̷̖͕̥̳̺̪̦̣͖̹̙̓̒̒̏̄̀̄̆̽͜͠t̵̢̡̧̘͇̞͓͓̤̳̪̯̝͉̔̽̐̆ͅ?̸̡̧̛̮͚͍̈́̉̓͊̀͑̉͆̍͌͝

Ņ̸̧̺̭͍͈͓̜̣̝̠͈̓̒͛͐͜͝a̷̧͚̣̺̐ͅţ̵̢̡̛̩̟͇̻̪̜͗͑̓͊̄̆̍̐̕͜s̶͈͎̣̰͐̂̿̅̈́̔͆̍͆͝u̵̡̢̘̣̫͉͉̜̙̹̱̬͕̦̟͒̉̓k̸̢̨̢̻̰̙̺̹̙͇̥̱͓̣͂͗i̷̢̬̝̞̎̀̾͂͆͠

Y̵̭̳̬̞̻̬̝͈̯͔͐̿̃̎̌̄̐̈́̐͂̃͠ͅͅu̸̢̡̡͓̜̝̗̞̣̘̳̻͑͐̎̅͜r̴̨͇̤̠͇̃̀̋͑̈́̾̉̑̉̑̋͊̕͝i̴̺̳̻̍

M̶̧̩̝̹̊o̸̧̟̫̺̱̤̭͈̱͒̀͊̎̌̎̚ͅņ̶͈̙̩̃͑́̀͗̈́̑͝͝i̷̡̨̹̩͇̓̇k̸͙̗̝̹̫͖͇̫͖̬͇̪͈̻̆͆̈́̇͒̌̚̚͘ã̸̡̺̦͖̳͚͓̹̗̺̄̌̏̂͐̑͜͠ͅͅ

I'd expected Natsuki to have some sort of criticism against my writing, so the fact that she's not saying anything is more than a little concerning. 

Finally, Natsuki looks up at me, her expression unreadable. "...Okay, well let's start with the things I don't like! First of all, um..."

Natsuki pauses, taking the time to reread my poem. She's starting to flush a little. "N-never mind, I don't feel like giving you my opinion."

"Eh? Then what's the point of sharing in the first place? I wrote this when I could be doing other stuff. In fact, remember how I said I wanted to read your poems? That's what I had in mind while writing this. I want to help you feel comfortable enough to share yours."

"Uuu..." Natsuki groans, hands on her hips. "Well, I'd feel more comfortable sharing my poem if yours was really bad! You were supposed to show me this dumb poem and make me go 'Hah, well it's not that great but let me show you what real literature looks like! And you went and ruined it! I hope you're happy!"

"...Wait, does that mean you liked it?" I ask.

"Urk-!" Natsuki's retort gets caught in her throat. Clenching her hands into fists, she lets out a deep groan. "You just...you...don't understand anything, do you? I already told you that, you don't have to go announcing it the world like you're all self-important!"

"Oh. Um...sorry?"

"Don't apologize, that makes it worse!" Natsuki snaps. 

"In any case," I continue, "you still need to show me your poem, right?"

Natsuki huffs. "Gr...fine, I guess. Only because Monika will make me if I don't."

**_Eagles can fly_ **

_Monkeys can climb_  
_Crickets can leap_  
_Horses can race_  
_Owls can seek_  
_Cheetahs can run_  
_Eagles can fly_  
_People can try_  
_But that's about it._

"Yeah, I told you that you wouldn't like it."

"I like it. The ending's cool, and it takes me by surprise. It starts off flowing, and then it takes me for a loop with the last line."

"What?"

...Oh no, I messed up and made her mad.

"Just be honest!"

Actually, I think she doesn't look angry. She looks...nervous?

"Why are you so certain I won't like it?" 

"Because!" Natsuki snaps, crossing her arms over her chest, "Everyone in high school thinks that writing has to be all sophisticated and stuff...so people don't take my writing seriously."

"But isn't the point of poems to express themselves? Your writing style wouldn't make your message any less valid."

"Yes, exactly! It's easy to read, but it hits you hard. Like in this poem! Seeing people around you do great things can be really disheartening...so I decided to write about it. "

"I totally get that. When I see other really talented people doing amazing things, sometimes I don't even want to try. Especially when they're really younger than me." 

"Exactly! Anyway, the other great thing about simple writing is that it puts more weight on the wordplay. Like I set up for a rhyme at the end, but then I made it fall flat on purpose. It helps bring out the feeling in the last line."

"So you did...I guess more went into it than I realized."

Natsuki beams at me. "That's why I'm such a pro! I'm glad you learned something. Didn't expect from the youngest one here, did you?"

"Yeah, I guess not."

I decide to humor her with that last comment. I don't really care how old she is, but if Natsuki is feeling proud, than I won't take it away from her.

Ẅ̷̩̘̹̖̦̫͚͉̯͎̮̙̰͉͆̐͂̎͠ȟ̵͇̬͚̞̲̟̱̩̻̙̭͚̠̣̫̇̄̌̋̈̐͊̄̚͘͝ǒ̸͚̰̮̼͉̟̥̼͖̝͒͝ ̴̩͓̹̠̰̪͚̟̜̏̎̍̐̓͗̔̓͋̉̿͜͠s̶̛̮̫̘͇̹̜̳̥̞̝͌̅̎͋͝͝h̸͎̠͍̐̅̎̽̈́̆̃́̊͠ǒ̶̘̦̆̂͌̽̑̓u̴̡̨͈̩̥̗͔͔̻̭͙̜̤͎̎̇͑̔̽͌̿͜͝l̸̡̢̧̻̫̖̩͕̭͉̳̙̮͙͐̇̑̾͠ͅd̴̫̻̫̲̹̟̘̠ ̵̛͓̙̳͎̬͚̰̰̼̯͉̬͒͂͒̊̀̇̐͐̓̚͝I̵̢̢͔̙̟̝͇̻͆̉͛̇̉̓̔̐̅̂̇̄̚͝ ̶̥͎̃̔̈́͑̆s̵͍̘̙̼̓͒̇͑̀̌̊͝ḩ̶̡̼͈̳̬̱͎̯̔̑̾̈̋͂̓͒͒̉͌̉̚͝ͅo̸̟͈͓̫̫̓̈́̀w̷̛̗͇̗̭̓̽̑ ̸͈̫̦̻̮̺͔͋̔͜m̷̡͍͓̻̱͍̮̫̪͕͕͉̙̪̜̀̓̊͐͊͂y̸̳͇̰͖͇̫̩̅͊̍̋̈́̓̆̅̀͛̽̿̀̕͝ͅ ̸̼͙͎͍̼̈̆̋́̈́̐̍͒̄̚͠͝͝ͅp̸̳̖͔̫̲̙̣͖̦̙̗̂͋̐̓̐ơ̶͙̮͙͚̩̖͚̗̲̱̺̗̦̝͉̅̐͆̒̂̈́̈́̈́͗̕̕͝ể̵͔̗͎̯̙͙͈͇̖̘̬̬͈͠m̴̱̕ ̶̢̫͆̀̑̔͊̐̎͛̒͑͂̏t̴̢̢̝̟͕͈̲̃͛͐͋̎̉͐̂̅͆̑ợ̶̤̰̪̥͚̯̜̤̲̞̳̘͚̈́̑͆̈́̈́̍̐͋̕͘̕̕͠ ̸̡̩̪̩̭̝̪͖̝̗̞̹̲̓̐̾̆̈̋̍̑̑͋͘f̷̳̹͗i̵̲̼̬̝̼̓̾͊͑̏̇̈́ͅŗ̸̛̝͔̭̪̼̪͉̤̮̫̣̤̿̽͂͛̚ͅs̷̖͕̥̳̺̪̦̣͖̹̙̓̒̒̏̄̀̄̆̽͜͠t̵̢̡̧̘͇̞͓͓̤̳̪̯̝͉̔̽̐̆ͅ?̸̡̧̛̮͚͍̈́̉̓͊̀͑̉͆̍͌͝

Y̵̭̳̬̞̻̬̝͈̯͔͐̿̃̎̌̄̐̈́̐͂̃͠ͅͅu̸̢̡̡͓̜̝̗̞̣̘̳̻͑͐̎̅͜r̴̨͇̤̠͇̃̀̋͑̈́̾̉̑̉̑̋͊̕͝i̴̺̳̻̍

M̶̧̩̝̹̊o̸̧̟̫̺̱̤̭͈̱͒̀͊̎̌̎̚ͅņ̶͈̙̩̃͑́̀͗̈́̑͝͝i̷̡̨̹̩͇̓̇k̸͙̗̝̹̫͖͇̫͖̬͇̪͈̻̆͆̈́̇͒̌̚̚͘ã̸̡̺̦͖̳͚͓̹̗̺̄̌̏̂͐̑͜͠ͅͅ

The next person I talk to is Yuri.

"Mm..." 

Yuri stares at the poem in silence. 

A minute passes, more than enough for her to read to finish reading. 

"Um..."

"Oh!" Yuri exclaims, sweating nervously. "S-sorry! I forgot to start speaking..."

"It's fine, don't force yourself. I always kind of worry whether I'm talking too much or not enough, and then I stress out because I feel like I've just said something dumb and made everything awkward or something. And then my hands starting sweating and suddenly I'm the guy with sweaty hands. Um. That was too much information, I'm sorry. I ramble when I get nervous."

Yuri smiles at me, her expression relieved. "I just need to put my thoughts into words. Hold on...okay." After a moment, Yuri asks, "This is your first time writing a poem, right?"

"Yeah...was it really that obvious?"

"I was just making sure," Yuri assures me. "I guessed it might be after reading it."

"...Is it that bad?"

"No!!" Yuri immediately flushes bright red. "Sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice."

She then buries her face in her hands.

We haven't really gotten anywhere, but I also don't want to pressure Yuri into talking. 

Sayori and Natsuki were a little easier to talk with, mostly because they took the lead in the conversation. Yuri, though, seems to be a bit like me, if not a lot shyer.

When I get nervous, I ramble.

When Yuri gets nervous, she withdraws.

"Don't worry about it, I didn't even notice. Besides, I really do what to hear how you think I can improve my writing style."

"Right...um...it's just that there are writing habits that are usually typical of new writers. And having been through that myself, I kind of learned how to pick up on them. I think the most noticeable thing about new writers is that they try and make their style deliberate. In other words, they tend to pick a writing style separate from the topic matter, and they form fit the two together. The end result is that both the style and the expressiveness are weakened. "

I nod in agreement.

Yuri sounds a lot more confident then she was earlier; her stammering is completely gone, and she sounds like an expert.

"Of course, that's not something you can be blamed for. There are so many different skills and techniques that go into writing even a simple poem. It might take you some time, but it all comes with practice, learning by example, and trying new things."

"Thanks, Yuri. That's really helpful."

Yuri flushes. "I also hope everyone else can give you valuable feedback. Natsuki can be a little biased though..."

"Biased? How?"

"U-um...well...never mind...I shouldn't be talking about people like that...sorry."

"It's fine. Don't worry, I won't say anything."

I'm not sure if Yuri is apologizing to me, herself, or Natsuki, but I don't want to pry. 

So, instead I ask, "Would it be alright for me to read your poem?"

Yuri smiles at me. "Please do!"'

**_Ghost under the light_ **

_The tendrils of my hair illuminate beneath the amber glow._  
_Bathing._  
_It must be this one._  
_The last remaining streetlight to have withstood the test of time._  
_The last yet to be replaced by the sickening blue-green of the future._  
_I bathe. Calm; breathing air of the present but living in the past._  
_The light flickers._  
_I flicker back._

Yuri looks worriedly up at me. "I...I'm sorry I have such terrible handwriting!"

"Huh? You have great handwriting!"

"But it took you a long time to read..."

"I'm just a slow reader in general. This is kind of embarrassing, since I'm in a Literature Club and all, but reading has always been tricky for me. Also, I don't read script very often. I think your handwriting is really pretty!"

"Eh? That's...a relief. Not about the whole reading difficulty, of course. I just mean that I'm glad you didn't find it tricky to read."

"More importantly, though, I liked your poem. You've got a way with words."

"It wasn't too short? I usually write longer poems..."

"Not at all."

"I'm...really glad you like it. I'll be honest...since it's our first sharing, I wanted to write something a little bit more mild. Something easier to digest, I suppose."

"Are you into ghosts, Yuri?"

"Actually, the poem isn't about ghosts at all."

"R-really? Sorry about that, Yuri, I guess I really missed the point on that one."

"Well, I suppose you did only glance over it, after all...but remember that poets often express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in their work. They usually do more than tell a simple story, or paint a picture. In this case, perhaps the subject of the poem is only being symbolically compared to a ghost. Lingering in her last remaining comfort, unable to let go of her past. And soon to be left with nothing...that's a lot more solemn, putting it that way." 

"I didn't even think about it like that...but I really like the way you described it."

"It's nothing really," Yuri says modestly, "but...it makes me happy to hear that you like it. Just remember that it won't be long before you pick on these things, too."

"Maybe you're right. Although," I say with a grin, "I'm not sure I'll ever get my handwriting up to par with yours."

Yuri snorts, then looks embarrassed. "Sorry! I didn't mean..."

"Don't worry, everything's all _write_. You know, cause the word right sounds like write, and all."

Yuri giggles, hand covering her mouth as though she's trying not to show that she's smiling. 

She has a lovely laugh.

"I think I get it."

M̶̧̩̝̹̊o̸̧̟̫̺̱̤̭͈̱͒̀͊̎̌̎̚ͅņ̶͈̙̩̃͑́̀͗̈́̑͝͝i̷̡̨̹̩͇̓̇k̸͙̗̝̹̫͖͇̫͖̬͇̪͈̻̆͆̈́̇͒̌̚̚͘ã̸̡̺̦͖̳͚͓̹̗̺̄̌̏̂͐̑͜͠ͅͅ

"Hi, Kaito!" Monika says with a sweet smile. "Having a good time, yet?"

"Ah...yeah," I eventually say, deciding not to mention that...that...um...that...

_And I just lost that train of thought._

_Probably wasn't important._

"Good! Glad to hear it! By the way, since you're new and everything, if you have any suggestions for the club, like new activities, or things we can do better...I'm always listening! Don't be afraid to bring things up, okay?"

"...Alright, I'll keep that in mind."

Of course I'll be afraid to bring things up. 

_I'm much better off just going with the flow until I'm more settled in._

"Anyway..." Monika begins, "want to share your poem with me?"

_I'd rather stick my hand in a bear trap._

_Wait, what?_

"...It's kind of embarrassing, but I guess I have to," I say, doing my best to banish the intrusive thought from my mind.

"Ahaha! Don't worry, Kaito! We're all a little embarrassed today, you know? But it's that sort of barrier we'll all learn to get past soon."

"...Yeah, that makes sense."

I hand my poem to Monika.

When she gets my work, she scans the paper thoughtfully, green eyes focused on every single ink stroke.

The longer I wait, the more my unease grows. When she finally finishes reading it, I mentally breathe a sigh of relief.

"...Mmh! I like it, Kaito!" Monika praises. 

"Really?"

Monika nods. "It's a lot cuter than I expected," she teases. 

I can feel my face flush. "Oh...jeez...um..."

"No, no!" Monika quickly says, before adding, "It reminds me of something Natsuki would write. And she's a good writer, too. So take that as a compliment!"

"...I guess so."

"You know," Monika says thoughtfully, "if you're interested in Natsuki, then always keep a snack on you. She'll cling to you like a puppy."

_Wait, what? That's kind of a rude thing to say..._

"Ahahaha!" Monika laughs. "I'm just kidding about the whole puppy thing. Seriously, though, Natsuki's dad doesn't give her lunch money or leave her any food in the house, so she's in a fussy mood pretty often...but sometimes she just loses all her strength and shuts down. Like earlier."

_Didn't Natsuki mention that her dad...what did she say about her dad?_

"This is just a guess," Monika continues blandly, "but I think she's so small because her malnutrition is interfering with her adolescent growth...but hey, some guys are into petite girls too, you know?"

_That's a horrible thing to say..._

"Sorry," Monika says with a sweet smile, "I'm just trying to look at the bright side!"

_What bright side?!_

_There is literally no bright side to someone being abused!_

_That's it, I have to say something about...say something about...wait, why am I so upset?_

_I don't...I can't..._

"Anyway," Monika continues, "do you want to read my poem now? Don't worry, I'm not very good..."

"You sound pretty confident for someone who claims not to be any good."

Monika shrugs. "That's because I have to sound confident. That doesn't mean I always feel that way, you know?"

"...I see. Well, let's read it, then."

_**Hole in Wall** _

_But he wasn't looking at me._  
_Confused, I frantically glance at my surroundings._  
_But my burned eyes can no longer see color._  
_Are there others in this room? Are they talking?_  
_Or are they simply poems on flat sheets of paper,_  
_The sound of frantic scrawling playing tricks on my ears?_  
_The room begins to crinkle._  
_Closing in on me._  
_The air I breathe dissipate before it reaches my lungs._  
_I panic. There must be a way out._  
_It's right there. He's right there._

_Swallowing my fears, I brandish my pen._

"Hmm...it's very freeform...if that's what you call it. Sorry, I'm not the best person to talk about for feedback."

"Aha...it's okay. Yeah, that style has gotten pretty popular nowadays. That is, a lot of poems have been putting emphasis on the timing between words and lines. When performed out loud, it can be really powerful."

"What was the inspiration behind this one?"

"Ah...well, I'm not sure if I know how to put it. I guess you could say that I had some kind of epiphany lately. It's been influencing my poems a bit."

"An epiphany?"

"Yeah... something like that. I'm kind of nervous to talk about deep stuff like that, because it's kind of coming on strongly...maybe after everyone is better friends with each other. Anyway...here's Monika's Writing Tip of the Day! Sometimes when you're writing a poem-or story-your brain gets too fixated on a specific point...if you try so hard to make it perfect, then you'll never make any progress. Just force to get something down on the paper, and tidy it up later!

Another way to think about it is this: If you keep your pen in the same spot for too long, you'll just get a big dark puddle of ink. So just move your hand and go with the flow!"

"...Thanks?"

"...That's my advice for today! Thanks for listening!"

***Save**

_I guess that's everyone._ _..that was a little more stressful than I anticipated._

_Everyone else wrote really good poems...and mine was really terrible in comparison._

Across the room, Monika is writing something in her notebook.

My eyes land on Yuri and Natsuki, gingerly exchanging their sheets of paper, sharing their respective poems.

As they read in tandem, I watch each of their expressions change.

Neither of them look particularly happy.

Natsuki's brows furrow in frustration. Meanwhile, Yuri smiles sadly. 

_This isn't good._

From across the room, I hear Natsuki mutter, "What's with this language...?" under her breath. 

"Eh? Um...did you say something?" Though polite, I can hear the steely edge underneath Yuri's tone.

_Oh no._

"Cute? Did you completely miss the symbolism or something? It's clearly about the feeling of giving up. How can that be cute?"

"I-I know that!" Yuri stammers, "I just meant...the language, I guess...I was trying to say something nice..."

Natsuki's scowl grows even deeper. "Eh? You mean you had to try that hard to come up with something nice to say? Thanks, but it didn't really come out nice at all!"

"Umm...well, I have a couple of suggestions..." Yuri begins.

Natsuki huffs.

_Oh no oh no oh no. Why did you have to say that, Yuri?_

"If I was looking for suggestions," Natsuki snips, "I would have asked someone who actually liked it. Monika liked it. And Kaito did, too! So based on that, I'll gladly give you some suggestions of my own."

_Oh no she mentioned my name why did she have to mention me by name?_

_Why did you mention me by name Natsuki?_

"First off all-" Natsuki begins, before quickly getting cut off by Yuri.

"Excuse me..." Yuri says, "I appreciate the offer, but I've spent a long time establishing my writing style. I don't expect it to change anytime soon, unless I find something particular inspiring. Which I haven't yet."

_Oh **god** Yuri why did you say that?_

_Why isn't Monika stepping in?_

"Nngh!" 

Crossing her arms, Yuri says dismissively, "And Kaito liked my poem too, you know. He even told me he was impressed by it."

Natsuki suddenly stands up. "Oh? I didn't realize you were so invested in trying to impress our new member, Yuri," Natsuki snarks.

Yuri's face flushes bright pink. No longer cool and collected, Yuri stammers out, "That's not what I...you..you're just..."

Yuri stands up as well, pointing an accusatory finger in Natsuki's face. "Maybe you're just _jealous_ that Kaito appreciates my advice more than he appreciated yours!"

"Huh! And how do you know he didn't appreciate _my_ advice more?" Natsuki snaps back, hands clenching into fists. "Are you that full of yourself?"

"I..! No..." Yuri stares down at her hands for a moment, before whipping her head back up again. "If I was full of myself...I would deliberately go out of my way to make everything I do overly cutesy!"

"Well, you know what?!" Natsuki sneers, "At least I wasn't the one whose boobs magically grew a size bigger when Kaito started showing up!!"

"N-Natsuki!!" Yuri yelps.

"Um, Natsuki," Monika begins, clearly taken aback, "that's a little-"

Both Yuri and Natsuki snap, "This doesn't involve you!"

"Taking your own insecurities out on people like that..." Yuri scoffs. "You really act as young as you look, Natsuki."

" _Me?"_ Natsuki yelps. "Look who's talking, you wannabe edgy bitch!"

All I can do is stand frozen in place, completely useless.

My vision darkens around the edges, then returns to normal. 

"Edgy...?" Yuri gasps. 

Another flash of darkness.

"Sorry that my lifestyle is too much for something of your mental age to comprehend!" Yuri shouts.

"See??" Natsuki huffs. "Just saying that proves my point! Most people learn to get over themselves after they graduate middle school, you know."

_My vision...why is it pulsing???_

"If you want to prove anything," Yuri sneers, "then stop harassing other with your sickening attitude! You think you can counterbalance your toxic personality just by dressing and acting cute? The only cute thing about you is how hard you try."

_Everything's...going...fuzzy...it's like I'm looking at this scene through an old television or something..._

_I can't..._

"Whoa," Natsuki mockingly laughs, "be careful or you might cut yourself on that edge, Yuri. Oh, my bad...you already do, don't you?"

"D-Did you just accuse me of cutting myself??" Yuri shrills. "What the fuck is wrong with your head?!"

Natsuki curls her lip in disgust. "Yeah, go on! Let Kaito hear what you really think! I'm sure he'll be head over heels for you after that!"

"A-Ah!" Yuri gasps, suddenly turning towards me, as if she'd just noticed I was standing here.

_Oh **no**._

"Kaito...!" Yuri stammers, "She's just trying to make me look bad...!"

"That's not true! She started it!"

_How did I get dragged into this in the first place?! My opinion literally means nothing here! I'm not worth fighting over!!!!_

_B̸̠̺̜͐̿̏̈́̓́̈́̕͝͝u̴̡̨̙̖̥̯̣̅̐͑̂t̷͈͈͙͙͆̔̆͐͗͂͆̔̈̇ͅ ̷̢̪͕̩̘̳͙͙̻̻̻̬͊̐̑̓͗̎̇̒͐͊͋̌͜ẅ̶̺͎̻̑̔̍̃͌̓̇ḣ̵̨̧̖̻̻̭̞̱̘͐͐́́̆̐̐́͛̄̏͠ͅͅṓ̵͙̳̼̆̆̂̓͗͑̉͒̕m̸̻̩̥̫̩̬̟̫̰͖̺̼̊͒͒͆͐͆̈̌ͅę̴̪̭͓͈̭̞͉̣̙͓̬̞̝͚̾̋̒͊̅̊̋̔̒͐̅͘͝͠v̶̧̙̲͎̺̠̠̯̦̝̞̹͒͒̈͐̈́̐̈́̚͜ͅë̶̲̩̳̫̲͎͓͇̗͕̜͎̠̯̉̓̆̎̔͊̑̑͋͜r̵̢̀̈́̌̏͠ ̴̟̬͉̫̟͎͈̣͍̂̊̊̀́͛̊Į̷͉̥̘̻̹̜̮̞͙͗̋́̎ ̸̛͚̞̥͔͚̺͔͔̮̮͖̅͆̈́̆̄͑̈́̎̕͜͜͝͝á̸̡̲͔̪͎̝͕̬̪̳̬͔̇̇̇̾̾g̷̡̱̝̓͛̕ͅͅr̷͈͚̭͙̯̙̞͇̰̺̰̂̊̔̓͊͛e̵̢̢̧̗̗̤̙͖̦̬̲͇̝͔̍̓̾͗͗͊̅͆̆̊̈̈́͘͝ę̵̨̡̳̝̣̠̭̪͓̻͙̖̋̍̎͛̃͘ͅ ̸̢̺͇̗͚̦͉͔̖̼̤̮͍̫̆̕͜͝w̷̗͉͇̱̖͆̑̑̈̊́i̵̙̘̤̥̭̲͇̪͍̐͑̂̅̕͝͝t̵̼̏̎͒̔̇̎̾̿͐̑͗͜͠͠h̸̢̨̘͓̘̙͑̐̐̏̉͝ͅ,̴͚̪͍͙̩̠͉̭̣͓̣͖̩̹̏̈́̔̆͜͠ ̵͇͎̈͗̌̿́̕ţ̴̡̢͎͉̝͓̜͕̣̟̩̆̈̚͠h̴̜̀͛̂͘ẻ̶̛̺͙̳̹̞̳̪͍͓͇̍̈͊̊̊̒͘͘y̷̡͚͕̬̳̞͉͕͓̼̰̗͚̥̙̔̾̾͗̾̅̆͛̓'̵̞̥͚̣͔͔̞̩̖̗̥̃́̿̿͂̑͋̿̈́̐͜͜͝ļ̴̛̭̹̣͕͇͕͔̑̍͗̑̇̑̍̉̃̔͒̕͝͠ͅĺ̵͍̱̹͍̺̓̇̃̚ ̷̧̯̻̦̞̝͕̫͖̯̱̿͆̽̎͗̍͝͝p̵̠͉̥̬̼̈̈̃͠ŗ̴̣̩̹̮͇̖͔̫͚̟͕̫͒͛̐͘ǫ̵̩͉̝͔͓̲͈̀̏̕ͅb̸̻̖̅ą̴̳̥̝̬̼̝̗͍̳̉̆̎͗̓̅͗̐̎͐̎̚̚͜͝ḇ̸̢̳͇͕̗̥̘̱̻̘̬̲̘̘̊̉̓̎͑͐̾̔̔̏̈̎͝͝͠ļ̴̭̩͇͠y̶̡̡̝̘͔̫̞̬̠̞̩̜͕̎̋͛͜ͅ ̴̠̭̅͛͂̓̄̈́̃̈́͛͂̆̔̕͝͝t̷̼̩̲̰̫̝͇͖̝͔̥͙̄̿̓ͅḧ̵̛̦͔́̽͆̐̄͌̆̽̍͝î̴̧͖̹̦̌̀̍͊̓̾́̆͂̕ṋ̵̋̄̍̈͒̃͗̌̈́̓̈̕ͅk̶̬̝̘͕̪̤̮̺̀̏̊͌̿͆̿͑̃̅̽͌ ̸̼̫̖̃͘m̵̛̱͖̳̣͔̪͗̈̈́̅͗͗̒̃͂̐͘̚ờ̷̛̛̺͎͐͗͒̀̏̈͛͘r̸̘͎͓̲̹̒̈́̅͊͋̾͐͌̏͜e̶͙̣͋̓̿̉͛̕ ̸̝͚̟͖͛̑h̶̛̥̲̹̙̰̼̜̙̝̲̯̜̝̒̋́̾̈̚͠i̵̯̾̒̇͒̆̄̈́̚͝ġ̴̡̨̧̨̭̘̲̲̲̬͔͂͛̏̓̔̈́̇̓͒̍̚͜͝h̴̖̟̋͆̃͊̾̑̾͌̅̋̏̚l̴̛̛̪̥̍͋͋͊̆̈́̈́̽̈́͝y̸̨̨̞͗̔͒̈́ ̴̧̨̡͓͙̬̬̦̜͍̼̪̍̑̉̈̆͋̚͝o̵̘̩͊̅̏͗̃̉̑̔f̶̨̼̥͙̠͓̤͖̖̘̜̱̍̓̊̓̈́ͅ ̷̡͇̫̰͔̥̺̭̠̯͆̔̈m̴̰̹͇̠̜͌̃͋̑̈́͜e̶̢̛̙̺͕̪̦͙͕̥͚̙̥̳̩̫͊̇͒͗͑͆̇̐̓̾͌̚͘͝!̸͍̝͔̫̳͉͍̯͖̖̮̜̗̝̑̓_

_S̶̡̠̱̦̺̩̲̝̻͙̪̫̭̿o̸͎͇͖̽̍̑͑͒̓̃̇͛͊̈͜͝,̶͉̜͙̭̺͔̱̭̹̭͙͑̓͋̚̚ ̷̧̂̇̅̑̂̌̐̀̊̕͘͘͠o̴̡̧̯̻̣̗̖̰͚̱̟̪̹͎̎̂̆̉̐̅̊͐͆͝͝f̶̨̛͔͚͕̠͒̂́̄̈̾͂͌̚ͅ ̵̡̨̙͚͈̮͍̲̈̒̈̔͑̀͠c̶̡̠͚̞̗̩̗̹͖͖̲͚̖̜̺̏ȯ̸̢̩̗͚͔͖̳̖̻̜̲͈͌̽̏͂̏͑̃̍͒̾͝͝͠ū̷̢̨͔͖̱̫̭̘̳ͅȓ̸̨̛̥̥̩͓̻͔̹̻̣͙̅̊̃̆͑̚̕͜͜s̷̢̬͕̯͚͈̬͎͓͙̼̜̪͖͊̓̋̽̈́̍͒̍̕̚ė̸͙̜̲͋̌̊͑̔͒̈́͐͑̈͝ ̴͎̬͉̻͖̺͔̹͉̟͉͂͊ͅͅt̵̰̰̻͈̤̫͓̔̿̔͜͠h̸̨͇̪͉͕̣̭̪̞͔͘̕ä̸̡̬͙̞̟̺̰͌ẗ̸̰̹̞̪̯͚́͗́̎'̴̢̟͖͉̳̼̻̗͚͔̠͆̈͊̈́̔͑̓͒͒͠s̸̭̎͌̈́̈ ̵̡̦̟̜͇̟̱̇̑̆̿̈́̂̓̈́̓g̴̛̰̮̦̯̠̫̦͕͊́̋͑̋̃̆̓͊͘͝ö̸͕̤̪̠͈̟͈́̌̒̎̑̊͂͑̊̽̏͜͠ͅͅĭ̶̹͇̮͒n̷̤̯̞̫̤͉̊͗̂͒̎͛̌̍͗͑̅̑̔̕ģ̶̖̫̯̓̎͌̆̇͑͋͊̃̋̕͘͝͝ ̷̧̟͙͙̩̥͗͐͗̓̓̎͌͒͑̍̿͘̚̕͠t̵͍̣͊̇͗̾̑͆̊͌͂̈͝͠o̵̙̖̬̗̹̮̮͈̔̒ ̶̢͉̼̘͕̲̈́̈̂̃͜ͅb̵̨̧̡̨̦͙̠͇̭͇͎͚͎͎͒e̵̢̨͚̫̺̞̙̮̣͕̒̈́̐̍̽̀̓͑̑͝ͅ.̷̨̢̛̺̝̱̫̰̦͕̫̰̞̔̃̿̋̍̇̚͝.̸͕̘̪̍͝.̵͚̯͇̳̰̹͚̖̒͋̄ͅ_

Ņ̸̧̺̭͍͈͓̜̣̝̠͈̓̒͛͐͜͝a̷̧͚̣̺̐ͅţ̵̢̡̛̩̟͇̻̪̜͗͑̓͊̄̆̍̐̕͜s̶͈͎̣̰͐̂̿̅̈́̔͆̍͆͝u̵̡̢̘̣̫͉͉̜̙̹̱̬͕̦̟͒̉̓k̸̢̨̢̻̰̙̺̹̙͇̥̱͓̣͂͗i̷̢̬̝̞̎̀̾͂͆͠

Y̵̭̳̬̞̻̬̝͈̯͔͐̿̃̎̌̄̐̈́̐͂̃͠ͅͅu̸̢̡̡͓̜̝̗̞̣̘̳̻͑͐̎̅͜r̴̨͇̤̠͇̃̀̋͑̈́̾̉̑̉̑̋͊̕͝i̴̺̳̻̍

Ņ̸̧̺̭͍͈͓̜̣̝̠͈̓̒͛͐͜͝a̷̧͚̣̺̐ͅţ̵̢̡̛̩̟͇̻̪̜͗͑̓͊̄̆̍̐̕͜s̶͈͎̣̰͐̂̿̅̈́̔͆̍͆͝u̵̡̢̘̣̫͉͉̜̙̹̱̬͕̦̟͒̉̓k̸̢̨̢̻̰̙̺̹̙͇̥̱͓̣͂͗i̷̢̬̝̞̎̀̾͂͆͠

Y̵̭̳̬̞̻̬̝͈̯͔͐̿̃̎̌̄̐̈́̐͂̃͠ͅͅu̸̢̡̡͓̜̝̗̞̣̘̳̻͑͐̎̅͜r̴̨͇̤̠͇̃̀̋͑̈́̾̉̑̉̑̋͊̕͝i̴̺̳̻̍

Ņ̸̧̺̭͍͈͓̜̣̝̠͈̓̒͛͐͜͝a̷̧͚̣̺̐ͅţ̵̢̡̛̩̟͇̻̪̜͗͑̓͊̄̆̍̐̕͜s̶͈͎̣̰͐̂̿̅̈́̔͆̍͆͝u̵̡̢̘̣̫͉͉̜̙̹̱̬͕̦̟͒̉̓k̸̢̨̢̻̰̙̺̹̙͇̥̱͓̣͂͗i̷̢̬̝̞̎̀̾͂͆͠

Y̵̭̳̬̞̻̬̝͈̯͔͐̿̃̎̌̄̐̈́̐͂̃͠ͅͅu̸̢̡̡͓̜̝̗̞̣̘̳̻͑͐̎̅͜r̴̨͇̤̠͇̃̀̋͑̈́̾̉̑̉̑̋͊̕͝i̴̺̳̻̍

Ņ̸̧̺̭͍͈͓̜̣̝̠͈̓̒͛͐͜͝a̷̧͚̣̺̐ͅţ̵̢̡̛̩̟͇̻̪̜͗͑̓͊̄̆̍̐̕͜s̶͈͎̣̰͐̂̿̅̈́̔͆̍͆͝u̵̡̢̘̣̫͉͉̜̙̹̱̬͕̦̟͒̉̓k̸̢̨̢̻̰̙̺̹̙͇̥̱͓̣͂͗i̷̢̬̝̞̎̀̾͂͆͠

Y̵̭̳̬̞̻̬̝͈̯͔͐̿̃̎̌̄̐̈́̐͂̃͠ͅͅu̸̢̡̡͓̜̝̗̞̣̘̳̻͑͐̎̅͜r̴̨͇̤̠͇̃̀̋͑̈́̾̉̑̉̑̋͊̕͝i̴̺̳̻̍

Ņ̸̧̺̭͍͈͓̜̣̝̠͈̓̒͛͐͜͝a̷̧͚̣̺̐ͅţ̵̢̡̛̩̟͇̻̪̜͗͑̓͊̄̆̍̐̕͜s̶͈͎̣̰͐̂̿̅̈́̔͆̍͆͝u̵̡̢̘̣̫͉͉̜̙̹̱̬͕̦̟͒̉̓k̸̢̨̢̻̰̙̺̹̙͇̥̱͓̣͂͗i̷̢̬̝̞̎̀̾͂͆͠

Y̵̭̳̬̞̻̬̝͈̯͔͐̿̃̎̌̄̐̈́̐͂̃͠ͅͅu̸̢̡̡͓̜̝̗̞̣̘̳̻͑͐̎̅͜r̴̨͇̤̠͇̃̀̋͑̈́̾̉̑̉̑̋͊̕͝i̴̺̳̻̍

Ņ̸̧̺̭͍͈͓̜̣̝̠͈̓̒͛͐͜͝a̷̧͚̣̺̐ͅţ̵̢̡̛̩̟͇̻̪̜͗͑̓͊̄̆̍̐̕͜s̶͈͎̣̰͐̂̿̅̈́̔͆̍͆͝u̵̡̢̘̣̫͉͉̜̙̹̱̬͕̦̟͒̉̓k̸̢̨̢̻̰̙̺̹̙͇̥̱͓̣͂͗i̷̢̬̝̞̎̀̾͂͆͠

Y̵̭̳̬̞̻̬̝͈̯͔͐̿̃̎̌̄̐̈́̐͂̃͠ͅͅu̸̢̡̡͓̜̝̗̞̣̘̳̻͑͐̎̅͜r̴̨͇̤̠͇̃̀̋͑̈́̾̉̑̉̑̋͊̕͝i̴̺̳̻̍

Ņ̸̧̺̭͍͈͓̜̣̝̠͈̓̒͛͐͜͝a̷̧͚̣̺̐ͅţ̵̢̡̛̩̟͇̻̪̜͗͑̓͊̄̆̍̐̕͜s̶͈͎̣̰͐̂̿̅̈́̔͆̍͆͝u̵̡̢̘̣̫͉͉̜̙̹̱̬͕̦̟͒̉̓k̸̢̨̢̻̰̙̺̹̙͇̥̱͓̣͂͗i̷̢̬̝̞̎̀̾͂͆͠

Y̵̭̳̬̞̻̬̝͈̯͔͐̿̃̎̌̄̐̈́̐͂̃͠ͅͅu̸̢̡̡͓̜̝̗̞̣̘̳̻͑͐̎̅͜r̴̨͇̤̠͇̃̀̋͑̈́̾̉̑̉̑̋͊̕͝i̴̺̳̻̍

Ņ̸̧̺̭͍͈͓̜̣̝̠͈̓̒͛͐͜͝a̷̧͚̣̺̐ͅţ̵̢̡̛̩̟͇̻̪̜͗͑̓͊̄̆̍̐̕͜s̶͈͎̣̰͐̂̿̅̈́̔͆̍͆͝u̵̡̢̘̣̫͉͉̜̙̹̱̬͕̦̟͒̉̓k̸̢̨̢̻̰̙̺̹̙͇̥̱͓̣͂͗i̷̢̬̝̞̎̀̾͂͆͠

Y̵̭̳̬̞̻̬̝͈̯͔͐̿̃̎̌̄̐̈́̐͂̃͠ͅͅu̸̢̡̡͓̜̝̗̞̣̘̳̻͑͐̎̅͜r̴̨͇̤̠͇̃̀̋͑̈́̾̉̑̉̑̋͊̕͝i̴̺̳̻̍

Monika's face suddenly fills my vision. "Um...Kaito, why don't we step outside for a bit? Okay?"

And-

I don't remember leaving the room, but we're here anyway.

_At least my vision has returned to normal...wait, when was it not normal?_

"Sorry about that," Monika apologizes. "They really shouldn't have tried to get you involved. It's probably better for us to stay out of this...we'll go back inside once they've stopped yelling."

Monika looks down at the floor, face flushing. "Some president I am, right? I can't even confront my own club members properly...I just wish I was able to be a little more assertive sometimes. But I never have it in me to put my foot down against others. You understand, right? Anyway, if this makes you want to spend less time with the others, then that's fine. I'd be happy to spend time with you instead... "

"Monika, I-"

Suddenly, Natsuki runs out of the classroom, tears streaking down her face. Upon seeing us, she bolts down the hallway, quickly disappearing from sight.

"Oh dear," Monika says, smiling weakly. "...Well, it looks like they're done."

"Should...one of us go and look for her?"

Monika shakes her head. "No, it's fine. Let's check on Yuri."

***Save**

Yuri is rocking back and forth in her desk with her palms on her forehead. "I didn't mean it...I didn't mean it..."

In my calmest voice, I tell Yuri, "I-I believe you..."

_I have no idea what Yuri might have said and/or did to Natsuki, but I don't want to make things worse by questioning her._

"Kaito? Please don't hate me," Yuri whimpers. "Please! I'm not like this! There's something wrong with me today..."

"it's fine, Yuri," Monika says reassuringly. "We both know you didn't mean it. Besides, I'm sure Natsuki will forget all about it by tomorrow. Completely."

"I don't know about that-"

"Anyway," Monika interrupts, "the meeting's over, so you can go home if you want."

Yuri looks at me like she wants to say something, but she keeps glancing at Monika.

"Y-You can go first, Monika," Yuri stammers. "I'd like to stay a little bit longer."

"I'm the President, so i should be the last one out. I'll wait for you to be done."

"Well- I'm Vice President, so..." Yuri awkwardly trails off. "...Please let me take that responsibility today."

Monika raises an eyebrow. "it kind of sounds like you don't want me around for something, Yuri."

"I-It's not that!" Yuri stutters. "It's not that...I just...I didn't get much of a chance to discuss my book with Kaito. It would just be embarrassing... with you listening..."

"I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?" Monika sighs. 

Yuri smiles nervously at Monika. "I-I'm sorry for causing trouble...but I really appreciate you understan **n̵̢̧̡̞̭̣̠̩̦̯̜̘̓͜ͅg̴̙͇̈́͋͂̏̇̅̽h̶̡̟̥̦̳͗w̶̢̹̜͚̮͋s̵̖̘̙̘̥͐͒̌̾̄k̷̛̘̼̫̬̞̏̉̆͑͂͐̐̋́̄̌͘j̵̛̙͍̲̪͈̰̎͗̄́̿̎̃̏̂͘d̸̨͚̼̟̜̪̩̟̖̒͐̆̈́͗̍̃̎͝͝f̸̛̫̺̖̫̬̱̖̜̥̠͈͓͌̾̈́͐͌͐̌͒͒̍͊̔͜,̸͉̪͍̯͇̟̥̯̺̓͂͘c̴̨̪̟̻̥̦̞̩̻̹̼̫͕̦̉̐͛̑͌̊̔͌̃̈́̽̽ͅņ̷̤̩͉̫̟̼̫̺̹͒̂̓̿̎m̵̡̡̜͚͍̳̩̥̐̾̅͠͝ͅ,̴͙̥̋̈́̓ļ̴̹̗̜̼̤̣͓͇͚̲̝͠ͅẁ̵͚̯̩͈͓͉͗i̷̮̗̻̱͐̂̓̈̄͐̕̕ͅe̵̳̤͖͉̳͎̟̹̠͌͗̓͊̒͠k̶̢̨̬͔͚̟̰͛͛̍̍͗̈́̕̚͘͝ͅr̶̢̾͊̐ͅḣ̷̠͌͌**


End file.
